North Carolina July 4th Parade Features ?White History Month? Float With Confederate Flag And Watermelons

One man single-handedly ruined a celebration of America?s birthday by attempting to hijack July and proclaim it ?White History Month.? Image @FayoObserver

An offensive July 4th parade float fanned the flames of anger among the residents of one North Carolina town. During the annual parade, attendees were shocked when a Confederate flag-toting tractor rolled by with a wagon filled with watermelons and a sign that said ?White History Month? and ?hug wht ppl.? The float, entered by local resident Donnie Spell, has the diverse community of Hope Mills up in arms.

The Fayetteville Observer reports:

Town officials have received about a dozen phone calls or emails about the float. Others have voiced concerns on the Facebook page of the town?s Parks and Recreation Department as well as on social media.

Hope Mills Mayor Jackie Warner said she received a few phone calls and an email about the float. She did not see the float during Thursday?s festivities because she was part of the parade. She later saw a photo of the float.

?I believe we?ve got to make sure we?re sensitive to all people?s feelings,? she said.

The spectator who sent her the email said the float is not representative of the Hope Mills community. She agreed and said residents should not have to see a float they find offensive in the parade.

Here?s a local report of the incident broadcast by ABCLocal.go.com:

Farmer Donnie Spell applied for and received a parade permit. However, officials said Spell told them he would be pulling an antique tractor with a sign that read: ??Watermelons for sale? at a nearby bank parking lot.

But Spell apparently lied to city officials about his intentions and pulled a float that is considered by most civilized Americans to be racist in both form and fact and, as a result, many residents are upset. Hope Mills resident Suzanne Singletary couldn?t believe her eyes when she first saw the float. To her, it represented a dark past that North Carolina needs to move on from.

?This should be over, all that stuff should be over. I don?t understand why people are still living like this,? she said.

The inflammatory incident has caused town officials to consider changing the application process and will recommend screening each float prior to future parades.

One man single-handedly ruined a celebration of America?s birthday by attempting to hijack July and proclaim it ?White History Month.? White supremacists across the country are probably mighty proud of him, but his actions have only managed to divide and embarrass a town. And proudly waving a Confederate flag just makes the situation even worse. That particular flag is soaked in racism and treason. North Carolina was just one of many Southern states to secede from the Union to fight for the right to enslave African-Americans. The state has tried to leave the past behind and move on ever since. But incidents such as this one only brings back bad memories, reminding us that racism still exists in this country and there are those who are still fighting a war that ended a century and a half ago.

Other articles you should read:

If you liked this article, share it:

Source: http://www.addictinginfo.org/2013/07/07/north-carolina-july-4th-parade-features-white-history-month-float-with-confederate-flag-and-watermelons/

iOS 6 bank of america Yunel Escobar Eye Black Cruel Summer Endeavor shaun white carolina panthers